ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA WELCOMES US WITH FREEZING TEMPERATURES!

Saturday, January  31, 2026
Erie, Pennsylvania
4F, sunny

When we left Cincinnati today, it was -7F. We do not need to catch up to Erie weather so quickly.  Son Brian said that was the temperature in Erie on Thursday.  After a quick stop at Dunkin for more coffee, we were on our way home.

Columbus was not far away and by then it had warmed up to 10F.  The roads were dry and the traffic was not bad. We started to see more and more snow along the highway, but it was still 10F when we hit Cleveland.  Thankfully the sun was shining and there were very few flurries along the way. 

Columbus, Ohio, with light traffic

Ohio is flat! 

TK occasionally enjoys hands free driving. That is

an amazing feature--our car will pass another and 

return to the lane without any guidance.

We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's near Beachwood--sure wish we had one in Erie.  Cleveland is a hop and skip from Erie and finally we were approaching Erie.  Still 10F.  It is always a happy day to see that our house is still the same, with Son Brian's care.  

Getting closer to home!

Closer still!

Home Sweet Home!

After unloading the car we headed to Donato's for  a pizza, Janie's favorite.  

TK needed a long rest after all that driving!  So dear Readers, that is a wrap on our January adventure, exploring the world!

TK's Takes: Ohio roads need work.  Later, he asked, "How are we going to last 50 days?"  This was in reference to our upcoming October - November cruise that is 50 days--from Fort Lauderdale to the Mediterranean and back to Fort Lauderdale.  He may have meant how are WE going to last with all this togetherness...

I answered that we had to work on our communication skills.😂😂  Keep in mind that we are also cruising for 27 days in August - September to the British Isles and Northern European passage-from Copenhagen to Boston.  God willing

FOUR STATES TODAY--SNOW ALONG THE WAY--CINCINNATI, OHIO!

Friday, January 30, 2026
Hampton Inn Cincinnati-Kings Island/I-71/Ohio
16F, sunny, snowed along the way

 

We started the day at 29F and the temperature kept dropping as we drove along the way.  Mike told us that we needed to catch up to Erie weather, gradually! This was another long day and we did not know what to expect traffic or weather-wise.  Since we were north of Atlanta, the morning traffic was not that bad.

 

I had mentioned to TK, “No heroics.” That meant no long haul driving and driving through blizzards. We followed Route 140 for some time and that was a nice leisurely drive without much traffic. The mountains are scenic, with goats, horses, beef cattle, milk cows (mostly Holsteins), Baptist churches, and red dirt.  I love the name of some of their roads, like Gum Springs Road and Iron Mountain Road.

 

How about a stop at Stinking Creek Road?

Back on I-75, we left Georgia and 14 lane highway segment behind and entered Tennessee, and the roads were still dry until just south of Kentucky.  Snow was falling, but visibility was good, and other drivers seemed to know what they were doing.

Kentucky Welcome Center

Knoxville/I-75

We made the obligatory stops at Buc-ees in both Tennessee and Kentucky.  Their restrooms are amazing—this is information readers need to know. 

I got to see tortillas being made at Buc-ee's!

We finally made it to Ohio, and I feared TK was going to drive all the way through with 5 more hours to go, but fortunately he wanted to stop too. We are east of Cincinnati so we will have a good start tomorrow and will arrive home tomorrow in daylight.  We never ate today except a piece of sour dough toast that Melissa made.  That is not good for either one of us. 

 

The nearby Texas Roadhouse had an hour wait (by that time it was 5:30 p.m.), so we went to Waffle House, next door to the hotel.  That worked out just fine. Now it is time to rest. TK, the expert driver, got us this far! And again, we turned a 6.5 hour drive into a 9 hour drive.

 

TK’s Takes:  There are Buc-ee’s everywhere. I-75 is busier than I-95, our usual route.

GEORGIA ON MY MIND!

Thursday, January 29, 2026
Canton, Georgia-the home of cousins Melissa and Mike
40F, sunny

It was a long 8 hour drive from St. Augustine to Canton, Georgia, north of Atlanta. Somehow we can make a 6 hour drive into an 8 hour drive without much thought. Rest stops, Buc-ee’s, I have no idea what we do that makes that happen.  We passed by pecan shops straight from the tree farm to my dismay. I wanted to stop. We shared a BBQ pork sandwich from Buc-ee’s, and did not hydrate enough, as usual.  Housing and business development, pastures, cows, horses, goats, all along the way.

Light traffic compared to Charlotte/about 3 p.m.

Going south was busier/I-75

Atlanta!

We found Mike and Melissa’s lovely home quite easily. They downsized from a 4800 sq. ft. home nearby, to this 2400 sq. ft. one level home two years ago.  The house overlooks a lake.  They were originally from Michigan, just north of Toledo. Melissa’s dad was my first cousin on my father’s side.  We share the love of travel, and they travel more than we do.   They love history, art, cruising, and land tours, just as we do.

 

First on the agenda was dinner, so they took us to one of their favorites, Dive Southern Coastal Kitchen that had fabulous food.  My first choice was fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy.  The best fried chicken I have eaten in eons. TK ate a little lighter—a fried chicken sandwich.  We were starving.    https://divesoutherncoastalkitchen.com/

TK, Janie, Mike, Melissa

at Dive Southern Coastal Kitchen

Canton, Georgia

After dinner, Mike drove us by their first home in Georgia, and it looked a lot like the Whispering Woods area in Erie. Back at their home, they showed us all of their art from places they have visited, and a video of their trip to Italy in 2025.  They said they do not leave their home when there are snow and ice. Obviously they know how to drive in such weather, but Georgia natives do not.

 

TK’s Takes:  Getting around Atlanta at 3:30ish wasn’t bad at all. He never wants to venture downtown though.

 Aside: Happy First Birthday to Great Nephew Archie!!!!

 

 

FLORIDA HAS THE BEST ROADS!

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Fairfield Inn/St. Augustine, Florida
42F/morning-60F/afternoon-48F/evening—sunny all day

 

Serenity near our hotel tonight

It was great to see our nephew Thomas yesterday—he is recovering well. We met up with sister-in-law Carol, and nieces Carmel and Brenda at Miller’s Ale House in Fort Myers for dinner. We are very proud of the two widow “sisters,” they are actually sisters in law. Carmel and Jeff already had a successful pool cleaning business and Carmel still manages that, but now the two ladies have started a “concierge” business that has really taken off—closet organizing, pet sitting, giving rides to doctor appointments, decluttering,etc. for older people. I can vouch that there are plenty of older people in Florida.

 

We also had time to stop at

Coconut Point Mall!

Tommy Bahamas!

Lilly Pulitzer

An extraordinary Dillard's

This morning we left for St. Augustine to catch up with Friend Judy again. Traveling the highways and other routes reminds us how much intensive building is going on in Florida. One minute we see beef and dairy cattle, the next minute we see bulldozers and other machinery preparing land for housing and other development. It is totally amazing. 

 

Orlando’s growth is stunning.  So many roads, 8 lanes, signs for Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Sea World, Universal Studios, Sea World, a Ferris wheel visible in the distance. Skyscrapers and slowed traffic—it is mind boggling. I am truly glad that we were able to enjoy Orlando with Randy and Brian year ago, then their families later---when B1 and B2 were young.

 

Passing through Orlando

Orlando

Orlando

All this hustle and bustle continue!  Judy told us there is a law in Florida that states that a new school is built only for the population at hand instead of having a vision for growth. That means that new schools are rapidly being built, without planning for future growth.   Her daughter teaches at a high school in St. Augustine that has 20 portable/modular classrooms.   Personally, I would not like that as a classroom. 

 

We stopped at Buc-ees in Daytona Beach, then on to St. Augustine---another booming area.  Judy’s home is tucked away in World Golf Village, but not far from St. Augustine Buc-ees, with a new huge Walmart being built, Publix, and Costco.   We love St. Augustine because of the rich history and its quaintness, but it is surrounded by development after development.

 

We went to dinner at one of Judy’s favorites, Poppy’s Italiano. The food was marvelous, chicken piccato (Judy), cheese ravioli (me), and spaghetti Carbonara (TK). The limoncello cake all three of us shared was out of this world!

Dinner at Poppy's Italiano with Judy

St. Augustine, Florida 

Dear Friends, if we could bring this weather back, we sure would. Erie is so darn cold right now! Even 48F would feel better!

 

TK’s Takes:  Florida has the best roads and the worst drivers.

 

 

 

 

ALLIGATOR ALLEY DOESN'T DISAPPOINT!

Monday, January 26, 2026
Homewood Suites Airport/Ft. Myers, Florida
82F—down to 65F, sunny

 

Wow! We were off the ship before 8 a.m.  Customs is incredibly easy now, using face recognition.  We looked into a camera and then we were approved with our luggage.  It has been like that for a while, but disembarking a cruise ship is getting easier and easier.

 

A Park n Go shuttle was waiting for us, and we were on the highway before 8:30!

 

I credit TK for flawless planning—all the details he attends to:  finding a cruise we like, studying the ship layout for a stateroom we like, booking it, making advance arrangements for dining, Wi-fi, and beverage package, finding insurance, figuring out where to leave the car, picking all the hotels going south and then north (and using credit card points to pay for all of them).  He plugs all the stop points into the GPS before we leave home too.  I know that I am fortunate that he does all that!

 

I counted seven alligators sunning along Alligator Alley—there is a canal or waterway about 1/3 of a football field away from the highway. I think there was a lot of vegetation along the road this year and I could not spot the alligators lying in the sun next to the water as easily.  Two years ago I counted about 21 or so, but this year all seven were huge!

 

We hit the Miramar Outlet Mall first—some readers may think that all we do is shop.  It was so hot that we had to change clothes in a restroom—we thought it was going to be cold in Fort Lauderdale.  Then, a rainstorm came by and the temperature dropped rapidly. By dinnertime we were cold at 65F. Sorry, Erie, I know you’re REALLY freezing!   

 

There's TK sauntering along at Miramar Mall!

We met friends Mike and Maria at the British Open, an English pub, for dinner. Mike is one of TK’s oldest friends from the “old” east Erie neighborhood. Maria and I love the banter between the two of them, sharing memories from days long gone.

 

We are looking forward to seeing nephew Thomas tomorrow, and then meeting up with sister-in-law Carol, and our two nieces, Carmel and Brenda for dinner

 

TK’s Takes: The fastest we ever got off the ship, and the fastest we ever got on. Nice weather when we got off the ship and now it is cold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS IS HEADED HOME TO PORT EVERGLADES

Sunday, January 25, 2026
Enchanted Princess, At Sea
77F, partially cloudy

 

This is my favorite photo

This is going to be a lazy last day on the ship and a short blog unless there is time later. We need to pack and I cannot do that while TK rests.   We spent some time in the Photography Shop picking out photos to purchase—the iris photos, won’t be available till later.  

January 16, 2026--the day we embarked

Most of the gang at dinner January 18

Front: Lawrence & Donna, Diane G & her sister Michele M

Back: TK & Janie, Brian & Nancy

We had lunch in the Amalfi Dining Room, and I requested Nebojsa (from Serbia) as our waiter, he was so charming yesterday.  When the dining room manager was seating me, I told him that Nebojsa should be a trainer. He replied, “A trainer of what, comedians?”  I did think that was funny, but he is a superb server and funny too.  He asked us multiple times if everything was all right with our choices, something lacking at dinner.  

 

I wrote a note of praise for Nebojsa yesterday.  There are comment sheets available to remark if a crew member exceeded expectations (or not). One returns such comment sheets to Guest Services, and I am quite sure someone reads them and shares the comments with the crew member. 

 

The “Colossal Fries” again, and a burger. TK had a Monte Cristo sandwich, all tasty.  Tonight is prime rib and Baked Alaska, end of cruise favorites.   One of the officers made the noon announcement. Ship's speed is 18 knots (almost 21 mph). She also stated there are 7000 islands in the Caribbean and only 140 are inhabited. 

According to Wikipedia (2023), Cuba is the largest island with about 43,000 square miles, but third in population. Haiti's population is 11.7 million and the Dominican Republic's is 11.3 million. I had to check that out.

When the captain said yesterday that Isla Margarita is an island of Venezuela, I had to check that out too. We visited that lovely island once, in 2006.  Princess cruises no longer visit there.

 

Our plan for tomorrow: We will find the shuttle back to Park n Go, retrieve the car, and head onward to Alligator Alley on the way to Fort Myers.  We are staying two nights to see family and friends who live there. Plus shop the fabulous malls.

 

From Fort Myers we will head to St. Augustine and hopefully catch up with Judy again.  After one night there we are headed to Canton, Georgia outside of Atlanta to see my cousin Melissa and her husband Mike, originally from Toledo, so my father’s side of the family. We are staying one night with them and then homeward on Friday.  We sure hope that the storms have subsided and, in the meantime, dear Friends, please stay warm, cozy, and safe. Friend Ann said she would take the rain and warmth in the Caribbean as opposed to Erie weather now.  We totally understand!

Janie and Donna

Brian K should be a ship's photographer!

 TK's Takes:  The issue with Coke Zero is still not resolved--they won't give cans, but do not have Coke Zero as a fountain drink.  Tiny little glasses full of ice.  Great to see old friends! Service just does not seem to be the same.  Food choices are limited, although we did have Baked Alaska tonight. No wild berry cobbler.

TOURING THE BRIDGE ON THE ENCHANTED PRINCESS

Saturday, January 24, 2026
Enchanted Princess, At Sea
77F, sunny

Sweet TK took this photo

Thanks to Brian K, some of our group had a great tour of the Bridge this morning. This was only my second such tour and the Captain and First Officer really took their time with us.  I wrote some details down but could not capture everything they said.

When Captain Di Martino speaks, everybody listens! 

Capt. Raffaele Di Martino, a native of Naples, Italy, started out as a green hand on ships and worked himself up to Captain of such a large vessel!  He has been with Princess for 21 years. His favorite port this cruise is Antigua, but his all time favorite port is Naples and his family lives a half hour away.  The captain is ALWAYS in charge of the ship. The one exception in cruising is when a pilot is onboard for the Panama Canal—then that pilot is in control of the ship.

 

Our gang on the tour

About 1/3 of the Bridge---some of the monitors

in back

Of course, there are four six-hour watches just as on the U.S. Brig Niagara, the ship where I was humbly part of the crew.  Ninety per cent of the time, computers operate the ship. While we were there, there were at least 4 officers on the bridge.  Many monitors show indicators, camera feed, and the electronic navigational system with radar. We could tell there were many cameras that were focused on the ship’s exterior, fore, aft, starboard, and port.

 

At sea, the ship is steered using the track-pilot system with a small joystick giving instant control of the heading and the radius turn.  Across the entire ship are thousands of smoke detectors, Hi-Fog sprinklers, fire doors, watertight doors, and flooding sensors, all linked to the safety management system and control system in the safety center. The Captain and other officers can manage any emergency situation the ship would encounter. No Titanic here.

 

Monitors galore

Another monitor

Captain Di Martino said that we were currently in the North Atlantic, with a water depth of 15,000 feet and that we were sailing at 19 knots per hour (10 a.m.).  He said that the seas have been rough but stabilizers make a big difference.

 The First Officer, aka Bridge Manager, then spoke to us. There is a brig on board, as well as a morgue.  One exciting time was when they rescued 7 fishermen whose boat had capsized in the Caribbean.   He told us he has never seen anything odd in the Bermuda Triangle, which we are passing through twice on this cruise. 

 

First Officer and more monitoring equipment

Captain Denise G!

First Officer with us

More monitoring equipment.

I tried to take a photo of the "tiny" joystick

that steers the ship

Cruise ships always avoid hurricanes and he said awhile back they had to turn around and stay two extra days at sea so they did not encounter a hurricane.  I do hate to report this, but he said the ship uses 700 gallons of fuel per hour.  The 16 page brochure we were given, Engineering Onboard Enchanted Princess, was far more detailed than I could understand.

Examples:

This was the easy stuff---

Date of Delivery: October 2020 (so this ship is relatively new)
Guests: 4450
Crew: 1380
Length:  1004 ft.
Height: 216.5 ft.
Breadth:  125 ft.
Max speed: 22 knots
 

The following information is above my pay grade---

4 main engines using heavy fuel or diesel oil
Gray water system
Thrusters
Hydraulic Power Pack
Oil/Water Separator
Electric Drive Motor
Propulsion System
Shaft Line Functional Arrangement
Stern Tube Seal
Bilge System
Centrifugal Bilge Water Separator
Static Bilge Water Separator
Daily Oily Bilge Pumps
White Box
Advance Waste Water Treatment System

That was an easy way to make the blog look longer and more intelligent. Maybe my engineer sons will understand the brochure!

It really was a great tour and I was fortunate to be on it!  Both the Captain and First Officer were very cordial and friendly. 

 After the tour, TK and I went to the Pub Lunch in the Amalfi Dining Room for yellow split pea soup and fish n chips. When the Captain made his usual report at noon, we learned we were ove the Puerto Rican Trench, the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean--28,000 feet!  We are 391 (450) nautical miles from Antigua with 773 nautical miles (890 miles) left to get to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale. 

A new thing in the photography studio is taking photos of one’s irises. I wanted to do that and can’t wait to see the photos tomorrow. 

Tonight was another Formal Evening, so we put on our best duds and joined our gang for dinner—beef tenderloin and lobster. That was very good, but too much!

TK’s Takes:  He spent his non-refundable onboard credit on a Tommy Bahama long sleeve shirt. He was not outside the ship much today. Pub lunch was so-s0. The lobster at dinner was small, but good.

COLORFUL ANTIGUA AND MORE SHOPPING!

Friday, January 23, 2026
Enchanted Princess/St. John, Antigua
83F, sunny

  

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Anglican Cathedral of the

Diocese of North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba

Photo taken from our balcony

This is our 4^th visit to Antigua since 1995. Antigua's history spans from early Amerindian settlements, including the Siboney, Arawak, and Carib tribes to European colonization. Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 and the English established control in 1632. After slavery was abolished in 1834, the islands remained dependent until a labor movement led to improvements and full independence from the UK in 1981, and the economy shifted towards tourism

 

One of two forts at the harbor entrance

Two forts sit on opposite sides of the harbor to protect the entrance to St.  John’s.  In the early 18th century, the British built Fort James as a deterrent against a French invasion of Antigua in the West Indies. Today the fort stands watch in ruins.

 Fort Barrington is a historic military fort built in the 17^th century at the western entrance to St. John's Harbor.  This fort is also in ruins.

Antigua is located in the eastern Caribbean Sea within the Leeward Islands, southeast of Puerto Rico and north of Guadeloupe, and is famous for its numerous beaches and turquoise waters.

Because rain was in the forecast again Donna opted out of going to the beach, so she and Lawrence joined us as we shopped at the port of St. John’s.  I had a mission to visit the shop, Sunseakers, which carries gorgeous resort clothing in my favorite colors.  I love the top that I bought two years ago. Donna says I am a bad influence on her because we both made purchases.   We also stopped in some souvenir shops for a few purchases for friends. We were not off the ship very long (that is what it seemed to us, but TK and Lawrence may disagree). 

Enchanted Princess in the background

Sunseakers

As you may have guessed by now, we cruise the Caribbean in January, sometimes February, to get warm. Back in Erie, the temperature is around 2F, Erie Public Schools are cancelled, a severe snowstorm is on the way---that is not where we want to be.  Since we have been cruising the Caribbean for 30+ years, we have repeated a lot of destinations and do not really do too much in the ports.  Some cruisers do not even get off the ship.

 

Donna captured Janie shopping

So, dear Readers, that is our story and I try to make the blog interesting, but we are older now! 

 

A rainbow as we were leaving Antigua behind!

Dinner was the usual banter, we have an interesting group, and we are chatty!! 

From flags.com

The flag of Antigua

A red background with a black, blue, and white isosceles triangle pointing upwards from the bottom, containing a rising yellow sun symbolizing hope and a new era, with black representing African heritage, blue for the Caribbean Sea and hope, and white for the islands' sandy beaches. Adopted in 1967, this design by captures the nation's vibrant energy and natural beauty. 

The flag of St. Lucia

A bright blue background with a central emblem of a golden triangle overlaid by a black triangle with a white border, symbolizing the sun, prosperity, racial harmony, the sea, and the iconic Pitons (volcanic peaks). Adopted in 1967, the design represents the island's natural beauty, rich resources, and diverse people, with blue for the sky and sea, gold for sunshine, and black and white for racial unity.

The flag of St. Thomas Virgin Islands

Adopted on May 17, 1921, the flag consists of a simplified version of the coat of arms of the United States between the letters V and I. The yellow-colored eagle holds a sprig of laurel in one talon, which symbolizes victory, and three blue arrows in the other (unlike the thirteen arrows in the US coat of arms), which represent the three major islands that make up the U.S. Virgin Islands: Saint Croix, Saint Thomas, and Saint John

The flag of Martinique

The flag of Martinique consists of a red triangle at the hoist, with two horizontal bands, the upper green and the lower black. It was adopted on 2 February 2023. 

The flag of Dominica

The flag of Dominica features a green background with a cross of yellow, black, and white stripes, symbolizing the Trinity and the island's diverse people and resources, with a central red disc holding a purple Sisserou parrot and ten lime-green stars, representing the nation's commitment to justice, its ten parishes, and its unique wildlife. The Sisserou parrot signifies national pride, aspiration, and the country's rich biodiversity

TK's Takes:  St. Thomas is his favorite port of this cruise.  He likes Curacao and Aruba and the Southern Caribbean the best. [Note: we are in the Eastern Caribbean now]

TK is fascinated by this German cruise ship

We have seen it in the past